WASHINGTON (AP) – Frustrated that cars recalled for serious safety defects aren’t getting fixed quickly enough, the nation’s auto safety chief will host a gathering of automakers Tuesday to search for solutions.
In some recalls for problems as serious as air bags that can spew shrapnel into drivers or fuel tanks that can rupture in a rear-end crash, completion rates are below 15 percent, six months or more after the recalls were announced.
These recalls involve millions of vehicles, challenging automakers to find both replacement parts and the cars’ owners. Regulators at times have fined automakers for dragging their feet. Meanwhile, concerned car owners are left waiting for repairs and worrying about the safety of their vehicle.
So, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief Mark Rosekind is asking for ideas from auto companies and safety advocates on how to boost what he called unacceptable completion rates.
One case that troubles Rosekind is Takata Corp. In the past three years, 17 million vehicles have been recalled because air bag inflators made by the Japanese parts supplier can explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, said Monday that the problem has caused six deaths and 105 injuries.